There is no excuse for turning away eligible voters at the polls, but that is what apparently happened in Florida's primary elections last week. Under Florida law, registered voters can vote without showing identification. But election officials at some polling places misstated the law and tried to keep eligible voters from voting. In one county, the official sample ballot got the law wrong. Officials in Florida, and nationwide, must improve their poll workers' training and written materials to ensure that this does not happen in the November election.

Florida's voter-identification law is inartfully written. It says photo identification is required at the polls, but it goes on to give voters without such identification an alternative: signing affidavits swearing to their identities. By that reasoning, Florida voters who show up without identification should be told that they can vote as long as they fill out affidavits. But that did not always happen last week.

In Broward and Miami-Dade Counties, poll watchers from People for the American Way saw voters being turned away after being told about half the law - the photo-identification requirement - but not the other half, the affidavit option. In some cases, said Elliot Mincberg, legal director of People for the American Way, poll workers insisted on identification even when they were shown voting-rights leaflets citing the state election law. Some people may never have cast ballots because they were not informed that they had the option to file affidavits.

The misstatement of the law goes beyond a few bad poll workers. Osceola County's sample ballot, mailed out before last week's election, said "Photo and Signature ID Required at Polls," and it did not tell voters they could in fact vote without identification. Secretary of State Glenda Hood, who should be on the voters' side, instead backs this misleading summary of the law. Osceola County's statement is fine, says Jenny Nash, a spokeswoman for Ms. Hood. She said the affidavit option in the law was merely a "courtesy to the voter."

The misapplication of voter-identification laws is not limited to Florida. In South Dakota, Native Americans without identification were turned away in June, even though the law allowed them to vote by signing affidavits.

This fall, flaws in the enforcement of voter-identification requirements could disenfranchise a large number of voters. Many people do not have photo identification, particularly the elderly, poor people and nondrivers. Others may not have such identification with them when they vote.

Someone who has waited in line for an hour or two, as could be the case in this fall's election, may not have the time or inclination to go home to get identification.

In the weeks leading up to Nov. 2, we will hear many times that all Americans should exercise their right to vote. Election officials have an obligation to do everything they can to ensure that when citizens show up, misapplied voter-identification rules do not prevent them from casting a ballot.

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skizz

Joined: 09 Jun 2004
Posts: 281
Location: usa

Fri Sep 10, 2004 9:49 pm

here we go again, brother jeb has found a loop hole to help big bro dumbya

shatoga

Joined: 23 Nov 2002
Posts: 1297

Sat Sep 11, 2004 3:37 am

In 2000, I personally delivered hundreds of affidavit ballots to polling places after calls:
"I got my registration in my hand but they won't let me vote!"
Calls back to same polls found afficavit ballots in trash can.

both times we drove my flag and veteran organization decal covered van full of nam vet whiteboys through "Safety Check" police roadblocks that only searched blacks.
We whites got waved right through though.

2002 touch screen machines registered votes for governor Bush despite who was selected.
One guy interviewed on NBC local affiliate said it took nearly ten tries to actually register a vote against governor Bush.

increase 1776

Joined: 07 Oct 2000
Posts: 3097
Location: Bizzaro World

Sat Sep 11, 2004 4:15 am

One or two more hurricanes hit Florida and who knows what they'll try to pull.Hell let everybody vote ,no ID,no problem.Like they used to say in the Chicago elections,vote,vote early,and vote often._________________"The police are not here to create disorder.
The police are here to preserve disorder." Mayor Richard Daley

Hurricane Ivan will be the third hurricane to hit Florida in a 30 day period. With all the military troops occupying the southern part of Florida - below the line from Tampa to Daytona Beach first called the MICKEY MOUSE LINE - another destructive hurricane will put this former state in open and complete military control (Martial Law) for the "good" of the citizens. Homeland Security will have its first major test of widespread control.

The MOUSE LINE is nothing new as it was established in the later 1960's by military strategists before the current FEMA ever became a Federal executive department. FEMA originally stood for Federal Emergency MILITARY ACTION. The scenario since day one [not long after the Cuban Missile Crisis] was that if "national security" warranted it, everything below the MOUSE LINE would be a military zone... a civilian "no-man's land."

What can be expected? When a FEMA truck showed up with ice in Southeastern Florida 2 nights ago, a clash took place between the local Chief of Police and FEMA officials. The townspeople had been waiting in line for up to 7 hours for ice at a FEMA emergency distribution point when the truck showed up, but FEMA officials insisted it be distributed the next morning. The local Police Chief said that if it wasn't distributed immediately, he would instruct his armed police officers to distribute it. FEMA caved in to avoid an open conflict.

But after IVAN hits Florida, FEMA will no longer cave in to any local civil authority as they will have open Federal "authority" from both the BUSH BROS to rule all local towns and counties below the MOUSE LINE. CAMP CHARLIE in Charlotte County has done this already whereby local EMS, EOS, and law enforcement must answer to FEMA-Homeland Security. Florida is currently designated as a Federal Disaster Area and the Federal Military already has full authority to "occupy" and rule over all local authorities.

If you don't think this amounts to anything, wait until IVAN hits. The roadblocks are already in place below the MOUSE LINE. People are already complaining about being denied access to their own property because they don't have sufficient ID.

What all of us who live here have experienced since August 13 is called a FEDERAL POLICE STATE. When IVAN hits between 9-11 and 9-13, the Federal Emergency Military Action will be in total open control.